80-metre ‘Colon Tower’ squirms above Beijing

By Michael EvansIn what can only be a natural progression from the Big Pants and the Big Toilet Seat, Beijing architects have graced the capital with the Big Intestine.A recently-completed 80-metre office tower in Beijing’s Daxing district has earned the nickname ‘Colon Tower’ because of its twisting, cylindrical shape. The Want China Times reports that the building’s current nickname is the final result of a long, deliberative process by locals:

The building, formally named the Xingchuang Mansions, caught the attention of local residents during its construction, though they didn’t know what to make of it at first. Many initially thought it was an imitation of the famous Marina City in Chicago with its semi-circular balconies.As more of the building went up, however, it was considered more like a pile of carelessly stacked plates, which led to its various nicknames such as “hula hoops,” “spring” and “pupa,” according to the Shanghai-based news website xinmin.cn

If architects are lucky, their creation may eventually be honoured as one of the ten ugliest buildings of 2013.